Allen on Pryor: 'This was a medical decision'

We wanted to make sure that we exercised extreme caution, and we went above and beyond what the typical protocol would be.

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Dennis Allen

ALAMEDA – Terrelle Pryor requested a tinted visor be added to his helmet on Saturday night, which raised a giant red flag with Raiders coach Dennis Allen and the team’s medical staff.

Sensitivity to light is a concussion symptom, and it caused the team to take another look at their young quarterback. The Raiders eventually chose to sit Pryor during Sunday’s 24-14 loss to Washington.

“He wanted to play, but this was a medical decision,” Allen said. “This was a guy with symptoms, and we weren’t going to put him in a bad position.”

Pryor cleared the NFL protocol, but the team kept a close eye out for anything outside the ordinary.

“Some of the tests are objective, while others are subjective,” Allen said. “We wanted to make sure that we exercised extreme caution, and we went above and beyond what typical protocol would be. We didn’t want to put him an unnecessary risk.”